pollard



(No Model.) i 2Sheets--Sheet1 J. M. POLLARD. Process of, and Apparatusfor, Extinguishing Fires.

No.237,9o1. Patented Feb.15,18s1.

WITNE-E "INiJEN-TDF- N.PE\ERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D O,

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 21 J. M. POLLAYRD. Process of, and Apparatusfor,'Extinguishing Fires.

Ne. 237,901. Patented Feb. 15,1881.

/N y A I d I M/ INJENTDF- JeMPellare?,

NITnn STATES JAMES lVLPOLLARI), OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR TOGEORGE H. ROBINSON, IN TRUST FOR THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER,MANUFACTUR- 'INGCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES.l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,901, dated February15, 1881.

Application led May 5, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. POLLARD, aeitizen of the UnitedStates,'residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Process of andApparatus for Controlling and Extinguishing Fires in Buildings, Ships,4Sto., of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to an improved method ot' controlling andextinguishing tires, and apparatus for carrying the same into effect.

It is a well-known fact that air, when brought into contact with orpassed through tire', is deprived of its oxygen, and that a compoundmixture of gases and vaporsis the result, the said gases and vaporsconsisting usually of carbonio-acid gas, Water in the form of vapor' or"steam, and the nitrogen which formed a zo constituent Ot' theatmosphere before reaching the lire. All of these resultant vapors andgases are non-supporters ot' combustion, and if passed a second timethrough the lire will extinguish it at once 5 but as these gases aregenerated by the process of combustion they are heated and expanded orrarelied to such an extent thatthey are much lighter than thesurrounding air, and instantly rise and are re- .placed by fresh air,which, in turn, finds its 3o way to the tire.

The object of my invention is to cool, condense, and contract thesegases so that they will be relatively heavier than the atmosphere, andso sink or descend upon the tire by the ac- 5 tion of gravity, or toforce them back upon the re by the combined eft'ect of gravity and ot' adownwardly-projected liquid, as'more fully described hereinafter.

My invention is further designed to prevent 4o the spread of iiresbeyond the limits of the ioorv or apartment in which they originate bycausing the escaping gases to actuate, by their high temperature, anautomatic liquid-supply, which, being forcily projected in the form of aspray or mist into the heated gases, at once extinguishes the sparks,reduces the temperature, and forces them downward, thus checking thedraft and contining the tire within a small compass, while by makingthis action .showing my invention applied thereto.

continuous the gases are made to accumulate 5o in such density as toenvelop and extinguish the tire.

It has heretofore been the custom to arrange automatic or othersprinkling devices in the ceilings of buildings or apartments in suchmanner as to reach, by the direct application of water, lall portions ofthe room or structure so protected, the jets or discharge-pipes beinglocated at intervals throughout the entire upper portions of saidapartments.

In carrying out my invention I take advantage of the tendency ot theheated gases to seek an elevated outlet, and locate my systelns of pipesor discharge-jets in such passages and in such manner as to oppose theascending or escaping gases with a forcily-discharged descending iiuid,which is driven through small Openings set closely together, and reachesall portions Ot'the passage or openin g with a minute spray or mist sodense as to extinguish 7o all sparks or iiame and to reduce thetemperature of the gases while forcibly driving them downward, so thattheir tendency to rise aga-in is overcome until they are cooledsufticiently to prevent their doing so.

My invention consists, first,in the method of checking, controlling, andextinguishing fires by opposing the ascending or escaping gases Ot'combustion at the draft-openings with a spray or mist oflire-extinguishing iiuid, caus- 8o ing the said gases to be condensed atsuch points, cooled, and returned to the re to assist in checking,controlling, and extinguishingit, essentially as hereinafter moreparticularly described; second, in the combination, with a chemicaltire-extinguisher and a system of pipes provided with jets arrangedaround the hatchways of the deck ot' a vessel, of a pump having itssuction in the bilge of the vessel and connected with a system ot'pipes, where- 9o by a chemical solution or pure water, as may bedesired, may be forced through the jets, substantially as hereinafterfully described.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a perspective view ot th-e interiorot' a building, 95

Fig.

2 represents a portion of a vessel, in longitudlnal section, showing myinvention as arranged therein; and Fig. 3 illustrates the lines ot' pipeand jets surrounding the hatchways.

In order to properly distribute the liquid and force it into the gasesthrough the system of pipes and discharge-jets, a suitable pressure mustbe created and maintained in the pipes, and this may be accomplished b va chemical lire-extinguisher in which carbonicacid gas is generated, orby means of a tank located at a sufficient height above thedischarge-jets, or by means of a pump or other device by which water orchemical solutions can be forced into the pipes under pressure, as morefully hereinafter specified.

In the drawings, the letter A indicates a stationary chemical engineconnected with a system of pipes, B, by means of the standpipe G. Asindicated in Fig. 2, a pump, D, is combined with the engine and thepipes in such manner that either maybe used to create a pressure ofwater in the pipes. The standpipc C may be provided with suitable branchpipes extending outside of the building, to which the hose of a steamlire-engine may be attached, when desired.

The apartments F in Fig. l communicate with each other by means ot' thestairways Gr and elevator-passages II. Above such stairways andelevator-passages, and around the ceilings of the ioors through whichthey pass, where the heated gases created by tire would naturally passor collect, the system of pipes B above mentioned are located, the saidpipes being provided with jets b, forming the condenser, as beforedescribed. Each battery or each net-work or system of pipes isindependent of all others, being so arranged that the entire grouparound or over a stairway or other opening` may be set in action by thefusing of a single metallic plug or other equivalent device with whichthey lnay be supplied.

The pipes I, Fig. I, provided with jets i similar to the jets b,constitute the arrangement before mentioned for preserving thecontinuity ofthe descending columns ofcold gases, which it does bymaintaining a low temperature and constant downward impulse throughoutits length, so that these gases are neither expanded and rarefied nordiverted from their course.

As applied on shipboard there are necessarily some modificationsresulting from the difference in structure between buildings and ves-'sels, the principle, however, being the samein each case.

In applying my invention to vessels I arrange the condensing appliances,consisting of the pipes B and jets b, in such portions ofthe hold asdesirable, and in case of lire I make the vessel as nearly air-tight aspossible. Liquids being then forced into the pipes the heated gases arecontracted and vapors condensed, by which means the condenser becomesthe objective point to which the heated products of combustion arecontinually drawn and cooled until they sink downward to the lowerportion of the vessel. This process I continue during a period varyin gwith the character ofthe cargo, but in any case as long as there is muchheat present in the hold, because, although combustion may have entirelyceased, owing to the air in the hold having been deprived ot' all itsoxygen, the gases in contact with the heated portions of the cargo willcontinue to expand and rise, thus gradually reducing the temperature ot'the material that has been on tire, and this movement of the gasesshould he aided bythe action ofthe condenser until the temperature isreduced below the burning-point. I then use a carbonicacid generator ot'limited capacity to lill the hold with pure earbonic-acid gas, bywhichthe last vestiges ot' fire are extinguished, and as this gas is heavierthan air it remains in the hold while the hatches are kept closed, thusinsuring the safety ot' the vessel.

To avoid accumulating a sufficient volume of water to damage the cargoor impede the movements or endanger the safety ot' the vessel, I locatethe suction oi the pump in the bilge ot' the vessel, so that the volumeof water in the hold receives no addition, unless desired, in which casewater can be taken from the outside of the vessel.

The condenser may be stationary and applied at different portions orcompartments of a vessel; or it may be arranged to connect with aflexible hose and be inserted at any point through openings made in thedeck ot' the vessel, as indicated at L.

As my invention becomes more effective when the liquid used is colderthan the atmosphere or than the ordinary temperature ot' water, I iindan advantage in the employment ot' liquids in which the temperature isartificially or automatically lowered, and for this reason prefer to usecapacious chemical tanks when practicable, in which water impregnatedwith carbonic-acid gas cr a solution of suitable chemicals is maintainedunder suitable pressure, because when expanding from pressure into theatmosphere these gases greatly reduce or lower the temperature of thewater or solution so impregnated. rIhis reduced temperature greatlyassists the action ot' my condenser, while thc weight of the coldcarbonio acid tends to create and maintain the descending current ot'gases, while adding greatly to their extinguishing powers. I may,however, employ a chemical frigoritic mixture, asitis termed, which,being automatically mingled when used, will produce a still greaterreduction of temperature; but while these methods may be employed inconnection with my invention they are not essential to it, as it can befully carried out by cold water alone.

It will be seen, further, that my invention, where applied in cities,will greatly add to the eiiciency ot' the ordinary tire-extinguishingapparatus by enabling the water from the engine, when the system otpipes are connected with the base thereof, to be directed to the precisepoints endangered by the heat, which is impossible under ordinarycircumstances, ow-

IOO

ISO

l I l l tinguisher and a system of pipes provided with jets arrangedaround the hatchways of the deck of a vessel, a pump having its suctionin the bilge of the vessel and connected with a system of pipes, wherebya chemical zo solution or pure water, as maybe desired, may heforcedthrough the jets, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In Itestimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing 25 witnesses:

JAMES M. POLLARD. Witnesses:

JAMES L. NoRRIs, JAMES A. RUTHERFORD.

